每年麻省理工技术评论(MIT technology review)都会挑选十项可能会引起突破的前沿技术。有的可能已经进入我们的视野,有的可能在未来会一鸣惊人。
他们不但寻找可能对我们的生活造成重大影响的技术进步,还会给出这些技术入选的理由。
本篇为摘译,只列出了这十项入围的技术,其分析没有列出。
高胆固醇的基因编辑(CRISPR)
Over the past decade, the gene-editing tool CRISPR has rapidly evolved from the lab to the clinic. It started with experimental treatments for rare genetic disorders and has recently expanded into clinical trials for common conditions, including high cholesterol. New forms of CRISPR could take things further still.
在过去十年中,基因编辑工具 CRISPR 迅速从实验室发展到临床。 它从罕见遗传疾病的实验治疗开始,最近扩展到包括高胆固醇在内的常见疾病的临床试验。 新形式的 CRISPR 可以使事情更进一步。
图片来自 Unsplash
制作图片的人工智能
This is the year of the AI artists. Software models developed by Google, OpenAI, and others can now generate stunning artworks based on just a few text prompts. Type in a short description of pretty much anything, and you get a picture of what you asked for in seconds. Nothing will be the same again.
今年是人工智能艺术家的一年。 由谷歌、OpenAI 和其他公司开发的软件模型现在仅需几个文本提示就可以生成令人惊叹的艺术作品。 输入几乎所有内容的简短描述,您会在几秒钟内得到您所要求内容的图片。 一切都不会再一样了。
改编游戏规则的芯片设计
The chip industry is undergoing a profound shift. Manufacturers have long licensed chip designs from a few big firms. Now, a popular open standard called RISC-V is upending those power dynamics by making it easier for anyone to create a chip. Many startups are exploring the possibilities.
芯片行业正在经历一场深刻的变革。 制造商长期以来一直只能从几家大公司获得芯片设计许可。 现在,一种名为 RISC-V 的流行开放标准通过让任何人都能更轻松地创建芯片来颠覆这些动力动态。 许多初创公司正在探索各种可能性。
面向巨大市场的军用无人机
Military drones were once out of reach for smaller nations due to their expense and strict export controls. But advances in consumer componentry and communications technology have helped drone manufacturers build complex war machines at much lower prices. The Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and other cheap drones have changed the nature of drone warfare.
由于费用高昂和严格的出口管制,对小国来说,军用无人机曾经遥不可及。 但消费组件和通信技术的进步帮助无人机制造商以机器低廉的价格制造复杂的战争机器。 土耳其 Bayraktar TB2 和其他廉价无人机改变了无人机战争的性质。
(图片来自 Tayeb MEZAHDIA in Pixabay)
通过远程医疗的堕胎药
Abortion ceased to be a constitutional right in the US in 2022, and state bans now prevent many people from accessing them. So healthcare providers and startups have turned to telehealth to prescribe and deliver pills that allow people to safely induce abortions at home.
2022年开始,堕胎不再是美国宪法保障的权利,各州陆续发布堕胎禁令。 因此,医疗保健提供者和初创公司已转向远程医疗来开具和递送堕胎药片,使人们能够在家中安全地进行人工流产。
图片来自 Unsplash
按需供应的器官
Every day, an average of 17 people in the US alone die awaiting an organ transplant. These people could be saved—and many others helped—by a potentially limitless supply of healthy organs. Scientists are genetically engineering pigs whose organs could be transplanted into humans and 3D-printing lungs using a patient’s own cells.
每一天,仅在美国,平均就有 17 人死于等待器官移植。 以后,这些人可能会因健康器官的无限供应而得救————以及许多其他人的帮助。 科学家们正在对猪进行基因改造,使其器官可以移植到人体中,并使用患者自身的细胞来3D 打印肺部。
不可阻挡的电动汽车浪潮
Electric vehicles are finally becoming a realistic option. Batteries are getting cheaper and governments have passed stricter emissions rules or banned gas-powered vehicles altogether. Major automakers have pledged to go all-electric, and consumers everywhere will soon find there are more good reasons to buy an EV than not.
电动汽车终于成为现实的选择。电池越来越便宜,政府已经通过了更严格的排放规定或完全禁止使用油车。主流的汽车制造商已承诺实现全部电动化,各地的消费者很快就会发现购买电动汽车的理由比不购买的理由更多。
图片来自 Unsplash
詹姆斯韦伯太空望远镜
The first breathtaking images of the distant cosmos captured by the world’s most powerful space telescope inspired a collective sense of awe and wonder. And this thing’s just getting started. Discoveries will come almost as rapidly as scientists can analyze the data now flooding in. A new era of astronomy has begun.
世界上最强大的太空望远镜拍摄到的遥远宇宙的第一张令人叹为观止的图像激发了一种集体的敬畏和惊奇感。 而这一切才刚刚开始。 科学家们分析现在涌入的数据的速度几乎与发现的速度一样快。天文学的新时代已经开始。
图片来自 NASA - https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=114125719
古人类DNA分析
Genomic sequencing tools now let us read very old strands of human DNA. Studying traces from humans who lived long ago reveals much about who we are and why the modern world looks the way it does. It also helps scientists understand the lives of regular people living back then—not just those who could afford elaborate burials.
现在,基因组测序工具让我们能够读取非常古老的人类 DNA。 研究很久以前的人类遗迹可以揭示我们是谁,以及为什么现代世界看起来像现在这样。 它还有助于科学家了解当时普通人的生活————而不仅仅是那些负担得起厚葬的人。
电池回收技术
Recycling is vital to prevent today’s growing mountains of discarded batteries from ending up in landfills, and it could also provide a badly needed source of metals for powering tomorrow’s EVs. Companies are building facilities that will reclaim lithium, nickel, and cobalt and feed these metals back to lithium-ion battery manufacturers, helping reduce the cost.
回收利用对于防止如今堆积如山的废弃电池最终进入垃圾填埋场至关重要,而且它还可以提供急需的金属来源,为未来的电动汽车提供动力。 许多公司正在建设回收锂、镍和钴的设施,并将这些金属返回给锂离子电池制造商,从而帮助降低成本。
图片来自 Unsplash
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封面图片来自Unsplash